1. Introduction

Votes cast for the upcoming RIPE NCC General Meeting (GM) resolutions taking place during the GM in Amsterdam can be cast electronically. The RIPE NCC has engaged BigPulse, an external company that specialises in web-based voting solutions, to conduct the poll.

2. Participating in the Executive Board Elections

All RIPE NCC members with full member status vote on the GM resolutions.

2.1 Physically attending the General Meeting

Members who are attending the GM in person are required to:

Register for the GM

Upon request, provide proof of identity at the GM registration desk

Members physically attending the GM can vote electronically or by paper ballot. If they wish to vote electronically, they must register to do so by 25 September 2012.

2.2 Remotely attending the General Meeting

Webcasting will enable members to follow the GM from a remote location. Registering for electronic voting will automatically register a member to attend the GM remotely via webcasting. All RIPE NCC members will receive instructions on how to attend the GM remotely.

3. Registration for Electronic Voting

In order to register for electronic voting, you need to submit your registration via the BigPulse application and provide proof of your identity.

3.1 Registration via BigPulse

Five weeks before the GM, an invitation for registration will be sent by the BigPulse voting application to all registered contacts of RIPE NCC members with full member status. By following the instructions in the invitation, registration with BigPulse is submitted.

For those registries with multiple registered contacts, only the first registration will be accepted, as there can only be one registration per LIR. If you represent more than one registry, you can select all these registries in the BigPulse application.

Once the registration is submitted, the system will create a confirmation with a reference, which can be used by the members to verify that the registration was received.

3.2 Proof of identity

The registration process will only be completed when proof of identity is submitted. A copy of a passport or ID card should be sent either by email to agm _at_ ripe _dot_ net or by fax to +31205354445.

The RIPE NCC respects the privacy of your personal information and is committed to protecting the personal information that you provide. This information will be processed only for the purpose of the RIPE NCC electronic voting procedure. Your personal information will be safely stored and will be destroyed after the GM.

The RIPE NCC is the only party that will receive your personal information. It is not shared with anyone else.

NOTE: If you submitted a passport or ID for a previous general meeting and completed the registration process, you only need to email agm _at_ ripe _dot_ net to let the RIPE NCC know this. The RIPE NCC has a record of those who were entitled to vote previously, so it is not necessary for these people to send their identification again.

Only when the above two steps are completed will the registration process be completed. By registering for electronic voting at the GM, you agree to the RIPE NCC Voting Procedure as set out in this document. Note that the registration process is not anonymous and will be monitored by the RIPE NCC meeting administrator.

The registration process for electronic voting closes on 25 September 2012. If you have not completed the registration process by this date, you will not be able to vote electronically on GM resolutions on 26 September 2012. However, you will be able to vote in the Executive Board elections by paper ballot if you attend the GM in person.

4. Voting

Voting on the GM resolution will take place during the General Meeting. Members will be able to vote electronically until 14:00 (UTC +2) on 27 September 2012.

4.1 Electronic voting

The RIPE NCC has selected the BigPulse electronic voting system for the voting on GM resolutions of September 2012. This system ensures that all voting data is anonymous, as votes cast cannot be associated with the voter's identity.

Only members that have previously completed the registration process, as described under Section 3, will be able to vote electronically on the GM resolutions. Before the GM, all members that completed the registration process (registered to vote electronically with BigPulse and submitted proof of identity) will receive an email inviting them to vote on the resolutions. Each email will contain instructions and a unique link that will redirect users to a secure page on the BigPulse voting portal. The voting portal will only be open during the voting period indicated above.

Each Member who has completed the registration process for electronic voting will have one vote to cast for each resolution.

4.2 Ballot voting

Members who attend the GM as well as proxy voters can vote with paper ballot at the GM. For each resolution, a different voting slip will be distributed. Members who register to vote electronically by 25 September will have the option to either vote electronically or with paper ballot.

Voting slips will be distributed to those who will vote by paper ballot. Each voting slip will represent one vote. Proxy voters and/or those members than have more than one vote will receive a quantity of voting slips that equals the number of members represented. These persons will then need to fill in each individual slip per vote cast.

Once the votes are submitted, the votes will be manually entered into the BigPulse system, supervised by an impartial party in order to guarantee the correct input of the votes. The anonymity of the votes is in this way guaranteed.

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